Police: Girl kidnapped, possibly sexually assaulted

Jan. 4, 2013: A 12-year-old girl is kidnapped as she walks to a friend's house, investigators say. Irika Sargent reports.

DICKINSON, Texas -

A 12-year-old girl was kidnapped as she walked to a friend's house in Dickinson on Thursday, investigators said.

Dickinson police said the girl was grabbed and pulled into a wooded area in the 3900 block of Cinnamon Cove Street. Police said they were notified about the incident shortly before 1 p.m.

The girl was able to scream and get away from her attacker about 10 minutes later after she was grabbed, but investigators said she may have been sexually assaulted before her escape. She ran home, covered in dirt and mud, and her father took her to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston to be examined.

The 12-year-old girl's parents brought her home from the hospital Thursday night and shared the terrifying story of what their daughter went through in the woods. The mother said she tried calling her daughter on her cellphone, but the girl didn't answer. The mother said she did not realize that at the time her daughter's cellphone was ringing, she was also fighting off the attacker.

The father said he was standing in the front yard when he saw his daughter run up, covered in mud.

"She said, 'Somebody tried to grab me and take me, daddy,' and I thought she was playing and she was crying," said the victim's father. "She said she grabbed a stick and stuck him and then went to fighting and started hollering."

The father said the man then took off running so his daughter was able to escape.

"If you mess with a 12-year-old, you're sick," said the victim's father. "(It's) one of the worst things you ever want to hear about your kids."

"She's a child," said the girl's mother. "This is disgusting," "He needs to be caught and put away."

Detectives said the girl described her attacker as Hispanic, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 160 to 180 pounds with curly hair. He was last seen wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt or jacket and yellow pants, which may have been coveralls.

Officers said they searched the area and several people said they saw a man leaving the area, but detectives were not able to find him.

Anyone with information is asked to call Dickinson police at 281-337-4700 or Crime Stoppers at 409-945-8477.

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